A while later, they reached Seylah's coffee shop. Landon took a deep breath, a picture in his hand as he looked at the coffee shop and back at the back of the photo, where it had Seylah's name. He looked a bit anxious, worried about how this was going to go.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hope questioned Landon, gently placing a hand on his arm.

Landon's expression faltered a bit as he stared at the coffee shop. "I'm not sure" The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them. He was afraid of what she'd say. He didn't have high expectations for this meeting since she gave him up. But he wanted to meet her and knew it was the only way they might be able to get answers about him. Maybe he should've waited a little bit, but he wasn't going to let his fears stop him or get in the way of doing what he had wanted to do his whole life.

"We can get a motel. Come back tomorrow if you want" The tribrid offered, wanting to make sure he knew he had choices.

Landon shook his head. "Lets go in and get coffee. And I'll approach her when I'm ready"

"Okay just remember I won't force anything on you if you aren't comfortable with doing something yet. Just say the word"

"Yes. I know" Landon said reassuringly, nodding.

Hope and Landon got out of the car and looked at each other briefly before heading inside. "I'll order." Hope said, knowing what Landon wanted.

She figured it would be easier to order it for him instead or him needing to find courage to talk to her yet. Her boyfriend gave her a small, grateful smile, and he headed over to one of the tables. Hope approached Seylah and placed their order, though Hope wasn't really much of a fan of coffee. Her body had enough energy as it was without adding coffee to the mix. She thanked the woman who she recognized as Seylah, Landon's mother, from the photo he had, and she carried the two coffee's over to Landon, setting one in front of him. Landon had his small journal out in front of him. Inside it was the folded up picture that he had done everything to make sure he didnt lose. He was nervous. So nervous. He didn't like that he was nervous even though he knew this was probably going to happen sooner or later. His hands started to shake again.

"Landon?"

Landon jolted, looking up at Hope after realizing she was talking to him again. "Sorry. I got distracted. I'm fine" He assured her, smiling sheepishly as he noticed the coffee Hope had set down in front of him. He then picked up his coffee and took a few sips, trying to calm his nerves

"You're not fine. I can hear your heart racing nervously" Hope said quietly, looking at him. She could sense the panic and anxiety radiating off of him and couldn't help but be concerned.

"I'm okay." Landon insisted, trying to act natural but it was hard. "I just... I always dreamed of this, of meeting my mom. but now that it's here, I'm not sure it will go well" He admitted softly. He was still shaking, his breathing uneven.

"Are you scared?" Hope asked him in a gentle tone.

Landon sighed. "Maybe a little? I don't know..." He shrugged as he looked down at his journal.

Hope sat down across from him and smiled slightly. "Remember we are here for answers first and foremost. Regardless of how she feels about you being here, you'll always have me and my family. I know it's not the same as getting a satisfying answer from your mother or her choosing to be there for you. But worst case scenario, things are as they were before. We can deal with that" Her voice was quiet. There was no judgement over his nervousness. It was an offer of understanding, support, and love.

"Thank you Hope" Landon said gratefully before taking another sip of the coffee she'd gotten for him. He closed his journal and put it back in his pocket. He was feeling calmer already and knew that he wasnt going to freak out any more than he already had today. They'd been waiting a long time. "So, I guess this is our chance to finally figure out some answers.

Hope nodded, knowing that this might not end well.

Landon stood up after a few minutes "Here goes nothing..." He said shakily and headed over to the counter. "I'd like a coffee to go" Landon said, giving a more specific order.

"What's your name?" Seylah asked, picking up a to go cup and a black Sharpie.

"Landon" The teenage boy replied, looking at his mother, unsure of if this was a good idea, but he wasn't about to back out now.

"That's a beautiful one." Seylah said, her expression faltering a little, thinking about the name she had given the son she had given up. She wrote the name on the coffee cup.

"Thanks. I'm, uh... pretty sure you gave it to me." Landon said, taking the folded up photograph out of his journal and showing her the picture of herself holding him while he was a baby. Seylah looked at the photo in surprise and slowly looked up at the teenager that was supposedly her son. Hope saw Seylah's expression and knew Landon had gotten the words out. The tribrid stood up and made her way over to them with her nearly empty coffee cup. She wanted to be there for him but didn't want to interrupt anything. So she just stood by his side, not saying anything. "Um, this is Hope, my girlfriend. I'm not here for anything. I mean, I didn't show up to suddenly demand you act like a mom. I just... I wanted to meet you and talk to you"

"I can close early and bring you both back to my house, and we can talk" Seylah said, looking at them

Landon's eyes lit up a little at the sight of her not immediately rejecting him. "Really?"

"Of course. I know you have questions, and I would like to know more about you. How your life has been. And I would like to get to know you as well" Seylah added, her gaze shifting to Hope. "Fortunately for you both, today is a very slow day. So it's not a problem at all for me to close early. Just take a seat and let me close everything up"

"Of course" Hope took Landon's hand in her own before leading him back to their table as Seylah worked on closing up her coffee shop. The pair settled themselves in their chairs. Landon was still nervous so Hope held onto his hand and gave a squeeze as they sat there. "I'm sorry if you didn't want me to come over there. I just wanted to support you. but I didn't say anything because this is important to you. it's your time to talk to her. I didn't want to intrude" Hope explained.

"You can talk if you want. if you have anything to say." Landon said, looking down at their hands. "I appreciated your support. it was pretty nerve wracking standing there and waiting for a response to the shock."

"You did fine. And it's going well" Hope reassured him as she ran her thumb over the back of his hand comfortingly.

Seylah finished shutting down her shop. A small smile appeared on her face when she saw the couple. They both looked so serious. Even more so than she thought they might look sitting in the middle of her coffee shop. They obviously had a lot on their minds. "Perhaps we could go to my home to talk. I could give you a ride"

"We took a car. But" Hope hesitated. "if you want, and Landon is okay with it, you can drive him, and I will follow close behind"

"It's fine with me" Landon said, wanting to not waste this opportunity"

Seylah smile kindly at him and led them out of the coffee shop. She turned off the lights and locked the door behind her. Then she led Landon to her car. Hope got in the car she and Landon had taken here. Once Seylah pulled her car out of the parking lot, Hope followed her all the way to the house, unable to help feeling a bit nervous about Landon being alone with a woman they had just met. But she reminded herself that this was Landon's mother. And that Landon would tell Hope if anything was wrong. Hope parked her car at Seylah's house and got out of the car once she saw Landon and Seylah get out of the car.

They walked up the pathway to the porch where Seylah unlocked the door, allowing the two inside. Hope followed Landon and Seylah inside and shut the door behind them. The place was pretty nice. It felt warm. Comforting. It was almost overwhelming and yet, comforting. Seylah lead them to the living room where she turned the lights on, and Hope examined her surroundings. Landon's mother clearly was a collector, based on what she had on display.

"I'll be right back" Seylah said and left the room.

Landon walked around and looked at the collection curiously, naturally feeling drawn to it. Hope stood by the island counter as she looked at the items on display. Landon walked over to an urn and lifted it up slightly, only to hear Seylah re enter the room. "Don't touch that" Landon set it back down, a bit startled. He hadn't even realized he was picking it up.

"Sorry. Cool. Um, it's just that I've told you my whole life story, but I don't know anything about you. And, like, all this stuff makes it seem like you've had a really interesting life, and... Is this an actual samurai sword?" Landon questioned, moving to touch the sword in awe.

"Don't touch that, either" Seylah said immediately, and her small dog began barking. "I'm sorry." She apologized, smiling a bit. "I'm just not used to having people around."

"You don't have to apologize. This is, this is weird for me, too" Landon told Seylah, not used to talking to people that weren't Hope and her family or people at work. Especially not someone that was his biological mother.

"So, Hope, Landon told me about himself on the ride over, and while I would like to hear even more about him, I am curious about you as well" Seylah said.

"What do you want to know?" Hope questioned, looking at over at Seylah.

Seylah took a brief moment before answering. "Well...first of all; how old are you?" she asked.

"I am 17. I'll be 18 in May" Hope said, taking a seat at the bar of the kitchen.

"How long have you known Landon?"

"A few months" Hope said.

It was amazing how much a few months could do. She had sworn not to make any friends when she showed up in Mystic Falls. She usually didn't. Especially not after the friend turned love interest she had made when she was fifteen years old. However, now she was terrified of losing Landon the way she had lost her parents. Even worse that he might not just die. it might be her fault. She loved Landon.

She hadn't even known it was possible to fall in love so hard and so quickly. It seemed like something that would only exist in movies. That even if people dated, they wouldn't truly be in love for a while. But here she was, three months after they met, in love with him after spending so much time with him. She wasn't sure the moment she fell for him. But maybe life was like that. Maybe instead of there being one specific moment, it was a collection of moments that suddenly made you realized you loved them.

"She moved to my highschool, and I was her tour guide. We were both instantly drawn to each other, but Hope wasn't exactly open to starting something yet" Landon said.

"It took me a few weeks, but I'm glad I finally stopped going through a push and pull of our friendship and relationship" Hope said, taking Landon's hand in her own.

"You both seem very happy together" Seylah said. It wasn't so much the expressions they had but the look in their eyes. It was something sincere.

"We are" Landon said.

"Would you like sandwiches? I don't know if you've eaten anything, but I'd like to be a good host" Seylah said

"Oh, no, you don't need to give us anything. We don't want to be a bother"

"It's sandwiches. it is not a bother at all. Besides, I want to. I never thought I would see you again. Is ham alright?"

"Ham is fine, thank you"

Seylah smiled warmly at them. She instantly pulled out everything she needed and started making sandwiches, making sure they were alright with cheese and if they wanted condiments.

"Thank you" Hope said gratefully as one of the plates was placed in front of her along with a glass of water. Landon and Hope began eating some food, though mostly to be polite due to having eaten not too long ago.

"I was also planning on making myself an apple pie" Seylah said, getting the apple pie ready for go in the oven. "Especially now that we are all getting introduced to each other. This is strange for us all. In times of emotional distress, I find that dessert really helps, don't you?"

"Not exactly an expert on the subject." Landon said

"Yes, you are." Seylah said, looking at Landon sadly. "I'm sorry your life has been so hard, Landon, I really am."

"I was talking about dessert. And I thought I was putting a positive spin on all the rest" Landon said.

"I shudder to think that's true."

"My life has gotten a lot better since Hope walked into it" Landon said. "And when it comes to dessert, she typically always has ice cream accessible."

"Not that we typically dig into it. But it's there for when we want it" Hope said.

Landon suddenly collapsed, falling off of the stool he was seated on, and Hope got down beside him quickly, her eyes widening. She magically threw Seylah back defensively but started to feel the effects of the drug herself. Her vision went dark, and she passed out next to Landon.

"Oh, oh, the dance of death. I wonder, who's the guest of honor?" The Necromancer questioned aloud, trying to get under Hope's skin. Trying to affect her emotionally. "Let's take a look. Perhaps, Klaus Mikaelson?"

No!" Hope opened the coffin and saw that it was empty. "There's nothing there."

You're not ready for the truth.

"No, like, literally, nothing" Hope said, looking over at the Necromancer as she stepped out of the way so he could see the empty coffin.

"Hmm? Ah, clever girl. May I present the door to my subconscious? Well done, you"

He jumped into the coffin, disappearing inside it. Hope watched in shock as he disappeared and tried to follow but couldn't. The streets were suddenly vacant. Hope looked around for a sign but didn't see anything. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Hope"

Hope swallowed hard and turned to face him, her gaze landing on her father. She took a deep breath and walked past him, back into Rousseau's.

"Hope, wait" Klaus said, following after her.

"You're not real. If I saw you outside of his mind, I'd think it were real. But it's not. It's in his head, and he is screwing with me" Hope said, not letting herself look at him again.

Just seeing him again was like shoving a knife into her heart. It hurt knowing she was responsible for his death. Her deep rooted desire to have her family all able to be around each other had her taking in the Hollow magic from each of them into herself. That decision had started to kill her, which caused her father to take it all in himself and kill himself. With Elijah's help, who wanted to die as well. He didn't want to have to live without both Hayley (Hope's mother, who was the woman he loved) and his brother who he had made much of his existence trying to help his Klaus. Just seeing him again reminded her of how much it was her fault. Not that she generally needed that reminder.

Klaus gently grabbed Hope's arm and turned his daughter towards him. "I'm here. I don't know how. But it's me"

Hope's expression faltered as her gaze landed on his face. She didn't fight him as he drew her into a hug. Instead she squeezed her eyes shut as she clung to him. Klaus rested his head on top of his daughter's and kissed the top of her head. Hope wished he could just stay right here. That they both could. All she had wanted was to have him back. But she had been smart and safe, choosing not to find a resurrection spell.

Most of the resurrection spells that existed were rooted in the other side. And all of them were incredibly dangerous. Bringing someone back from the dead had consequences. And it was unsure who the consequence would be on. It could be on the user, the person resurrected, the other people around them. And it could have resurrected the Hollow as well, and it would have all been for nothing. She had repeatedly told herself she couldn't risk it. She couldn't risk other people getting hurt or her dad suffering even more because of her.

"Dad" Hope breathed out, suddenly not caring if this was a hallucination or real.

She wanted desperately for him to really be right here in front of her. But even knowing it was likely all fake, she couldn't bring herself to walk away. She needed this. It might have been her only chance of seeing him ever again. To hold him one more time, before he left her forever. Hope pulled away as a tear fell down her cheek. Klaus reached up and brushed them away.

"This is real. You are my littlest wolf, and I will love you always and forever" With those words being spoken, Klaus kissed her forehead. A soft, sad smile formed on Hope's lips at his affectionate gesture. Her heart ached painfully as tears shone in her eyes.

"I'm guessing you don't remember where you were from if you are real? Where you've been for the last two years?" Hope forced herself to ask.

"It has been two years? You have grown beautifully. No, I do not remember where I came from. it was as though just a moment ago I was with Elijah, ready to get rid of the Hollow for good" Klaus said.

This moment was perfect. Everything was as perfect as it could possibly be. They could never go back to this. It wasn't real. It was all created by the Necromancer to distract her. And even if her father was real and all of this was real... she couldn't do this to him. And she still had to find out about the knife and Malivore. Hope shook her head and took a step back. "I can't-. Even if this is real, I have to go. I have to find the Necromancer and get the answers I was looking for. it's... it's important. I don't want to leave you, but this is all in his head."

"Perhaps I could go with you as you search for your answers. Stay as long as I can" Klaus said.

"Okay" Hope replied, her voice quiet as she looked at her father. Finally, she tore her gaze away and looked around Rousseau's, wondering if the answers were in the same building they had shown up in.

"How have you been? Since I left?" Klaus asked. Since he died.

"It's been hard, but I'm managing. I have friends now" Hope said as she walked around the bar. "And a boyfriend."

"A boyfriend?"

"Yes, he's smart and funny and compassionate and cares so much about people. And I've only known him for a few months, but I love him. Sometimes you just know"

"As... strange and protective I feel over the idea of you having a boyfriend, he sounds like the right sort of fellow, based on that description. Better than the other one" Klaus told his daughter. "What friends are these?"

"Lizzie. She left town this morning with her sister. She's... Different. Not that I get to know many people. But I like her and we became friends pretty quickly. Which says a lot because I'm pretty anti social" Hope said, her gaze following clues. She walked over to a door and opened it, revealing darkness and a staircase. "The Necromancer having a pitch black subconscious. Fitting" she commented.

"I'm glad that you have at least one friend. Everyone needs them, Hope. Something I should have learned a long time ago. But I tended to choose ones that betrayed me. I hope you have better luck with lovers and friends"

"I think I do" Hope said, looking at him before walking down the stairs.

Klaus followed her down. "Are you sure this is where you should be?"

"The signs literally pointed this way. I need to try something" Hope said, continuing to descend the staircase.

"What are you trying to find?"

"Answers about this artifact and some dimension thing that consumes monsters" Hope said. "It also erased them from-" And she stepped off the last step, falling into darkness. She hit the ground hard and groaned just a little before standing upright. She looked upwards, but it was all gone. The staircase. And her father.

Hope inhaled sharply, not realizing she would lose him again so suddenly. Her heart ached as she looked around at the darkness but saw nothing. She buried her feelings and shouted. I'm here! I climbed your endless staircase down into your bottomless pit of despair. Let's call an end to the torture. Okay?"

There was nothing but complete silence.

"Hey, Almighty Necromancer, we're supposed to be in this together."

Still nothing.

"Hello? Hello?"

Hope gasped awake, her eyes flying open. It took her a few moments before she began to process her surroundings. She was in Seylah's living room, restrained by chains to a chair. She grimaced a bit and looked at Seylah, briefly acknowledging Landon's unconscious and tied up presence beside her. Seylah's hair was now hanging down instead of being pulled up, and she was no longer wearing her uniform or the smile she wore alongside it. Instead, she wore dark clothes and a cold expression.

"You are awake early. I must say I expected you to remain unconscious longer" the woman said, looking at her.

"Sorry to disappoint" Hope said sarcastically. "Motus"

Nothing happened.

"The cuffs you have on were specially collected. They prevent magic use, which I wouldn't have known I needed if you didn't magically throw me against the wall before you fell unconscious' Seylah said.

"What do you want?" Hope asked, watching warily as Seylah plugged in the iron. She could break free with her werewolf strength, but this could give her an advantage. The woman not knowing who she was or what she was capable of.

"I want answers. Who sent you?" Seylah asked, walking closer to Hope.

"No one. We came on our own."

"Don't lie to me. Who sent you?"

"No one" Hope repeated, eyeing her. "Though now I'm really curious who it was that you thought sent us"

Seylah eyed Hope and opened her mouth to reply, but Landon had woken up and took sight of his surroundings.

"Seylah, Seylah, please, I-I didn't want to burden you with this, but I don't... I don't do well in captivity. Seylah, Seylah, I'm sorry. I-I-I..." Landon rambled, scared of being kidnapped again.

"Landon, hey, hey, look at me" Hope said, her expression softening as she looked at the man she loved. Landon looked over at his girlfriend, still panicking a bit but feeling a bit better now that Hope was talking to him. "Just breathe. We are going to be okay, I promise"

Landon nodded, but Seylah looked at Hope. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep" she said and walked over to Landon. "Who sent you?"

"I already told you my miserable life story. Nobody gives a crap about me except for Hope over there" Landon said firmly.

"Quit playing games" Seylah said. "I don't believe that you're my son. So I suggest you spill your guts before the iron heats up."

"Whether you believe it or not, he is. We would have been willing to do a DNA test if that's what this is about" Hope commented.

"You could be saying that to try to convince me not to use the iron" Seylah said. "Now, let's try being honest"

Landon was quiet, his expression hard. He didn't want to tell Seylah anything now that he knew she didn't believe him. Of course Seylah wasn't welcoming him with open arms. Life was never that simple, and she had given him up. He had been foolish to believe it was as simple as it had been. Now he was in chains and so was Hope. The girl that, while he knew she was perfectly capable of handling herself, he didn't want to put in any more danger than he had to. She deserved to be happy.

"Why so quiet?" Seylah questioned, her gaze on Landon. "You wouldn't shut up when we were having lunch."

"I thought you believed me. Now I'm not giving you anything" Landon said.

Seylah walked over to the iron and put her hand near it, testing the heat. "Everyone talks... eventually."

Since it was hot, she brought it over to Landon.

"Stop. Just tell us what's going on. We aren't doing anything wrong" Hope said. "We just came to talk"

"You are a witch. I don't particularly trust anything you say" Seylah replied.

"Oh come on. Please don't do this. I swear to you I am telling you the truth. I am your son." Landon begged.

"Stop saying that, or I'll burn your lips shut" Seylah was right in front of Landon with the iron, holding it close to his face.

Hope tugged on her chains, breaking them. She moved quickly, getting Seylah away from Landon. She knocked Seylah down, and Seylah knocked her down as well. Hope sat up and pinned Seylah to the ground, but Seylah grabbed the iron and pressed it against Hope's face. A yell escaped the tribrid's lips, and she grabbed Seylah's arm, twisting it just enough for the iron to fall to the ground.

Hope stood up, her face burnt pretty bad but starting to rapidly recover. "I don't want to hurt you" she said, forcing down the pain from her burn. She knew it would be healed soon. She magically pinned Seylah to the wall once the woman got up. "I have no desire to hurt you. But I needed to make sure Landon was safe"

She walked over to Landon and freed him by breaking the chains. He reached out and gently touched the outer rim of her burn in concern. Hope winced slightly, and he drew his hand back, a guilty expression on his face.

"I'm sorry." Landon said softly. "It looks like it is healing quickly,"

"Perks of being the tribrid" Hope said and offered her hand to Landon, pulling him into a standing position.

"Tribrid?" Seylah questioned.

"Part vampire, part werewolf, part witch. I'm the only one of my kind" Hope explained and allowed Seylah to be able to move.

Suddenly, the dog that was out of sight yelped, and the barking stopped. Hope looked over at Landon in alarm, her instincts telling her something was wrong. She listened and heard that something else was in the house. Seylah quietly left the room. Hope went over to the samurai sword and picked it up, ready to use it to fight. Not that she couldn't fight with magic. But swords helped with killing. Besides, she always enjoyed using weapons.

Landon moved near Hope, having no experience fighting. The closest he had ever gotten was people beating him up. Foster parents and jerks like Connor and his friends had been. He wished he would be able to help his badass gorgeous tribrid hero, but he would likely be more of a liability than anything.

"Landon, get out of here" Hope said quietly.

Landon shook his head. "I'm not leaving you." He said in the same hushed volume. Suddenly, the newest Malivore monster came from the top of the stairs, causing Landon to inhale sharply. "Holy smokes" he said at the sight of the creature that sent a chill down his spine.

Hope gripped the samurai sword as it got closer, ready to make her strike. Suddenly, Seylah showed up with a sword and cut its head off. The creature collapsed to the ground, dead. The tribrid and her boyfriend looked at each other in surprise before looking back at Seylah.

"We need to get out of here" was all Seylah said before heading out of the house. Hope and Landon exchanged looks before following after her.